Toy water gun

ABSTRACT

A toy water gun has a hand pump for pressurizing a reservoir of water and a trigger which controls a valve for allowing pressurized water to squirt from a nozzle when the trigger is pulled. A spring wire which normally urges the trigger toward a rest position engages a contact in response to pulling of the trigger whereby a circuit is completed to energize a motor which drives a slider-crank mechanism for causing reciprocation of the water gun&#39;s barrels, and to energize a sound circuit for simulating the sounds of gun fire.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to children's toy water guns of the typemodeled after a carbine and having a large water reservoir. Morespecifically, the invention teaches how to provide such a water gun withthe capability to squirt water from a plurality of barrels whichreciprocate in out of phase synchronization as water is ejected throughthem, and to emit sounds associated with the firing of a weapon.

[0002] It is known to make water guns having an electrical pump and anelectrical noisemaker. In such water guns the trigger is connected tothe actuator of an electrical switch in series with a battery and anelectric pump. A noisemaker may also be connected to the battery throughthe switch. Pulling the switch closes a circuit between the battery andpump thereby causing the pump to continuously force water from areservoir. Such electric water guns are relatively expensive tomanufacture, and short lived when subjected to handling by children intheir play environments due to the fragility of the electric pumps.Moreover, such pumps draw relatively large currents from the batterieswhich must be frequently replaced at further expense.

[0003] It is also known in the art to make water guns having amechanical pump with a plunger in the shaper of the gun trigger. Pullingthe trigger forces the plunger into a chamber thereby forcing air into areservoir filled with water. With each stroke of the trigger, a volumeof water is displaced from the reservoir through a nozzle. Such waterguns are generally silent and have no moving parts other than thetrigger which is actuated by finger pressure and a return spring whichrestores the trigger to its rest position after each pull. Althoughinherently more reliable and less expensive than electrically operatedwater guns, manual water guns of this type are unable to providechildren with the thrill of hearing weapon sounds as the water is“fired” from the gun, or to squirt long duration, continuous streams, ofwater.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention overcomes the aforementioned shortcomingsof prior art water guns in teaching how to make a mechanically actuatedwater gun which can be operated to expel long duration continuousstreams of water without any requirement for an electrical power supply,yet which can also emit gun-like sounds, and causing the barrels of thegun to reciprocate, when the trigger is pulled via motor drivenslider-crank mechanism connected to the barrels, and an electronic soundsystem, both of which are connected to a switch actuated by the trigger.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a water gunwhich can squirt water from a plurality of reciprocating barrels whileemitting sounds associated with the firing of a weapon.

[0006] Another object of the invention is to provide a water gun whichcan continuously emit pressurized water from a reservoir while operatingan electrical sound generator.

[0007] Still another object of the invention is to provide a water gunwith a trigger having the feel of a conventional water gun trigger andthe ability to emit sounds similar to those of a more expensiveelectrical pump operated water gun.

[0008] A further object of the invention is to provide a water gun withbarrels that reciprocate as water is manually pumped through nozzles inthe barrels.

[0009] Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent fromthe following drawings and description of a preferred embodiment of theinvention in which like reference numerals are used to indicate likeparts in the various views.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 is an exterior side elevation view of an assembled toywater gun in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0011]FIG. 2 is an interior side elevation view of the toy water gun ofFIG. 1 in a disassembled condition with trigger removed.

[0012]FIG. 3 is a an enlarged fragmentary view showing a portion of thetoy water gun as shown in FIG. 2.

[0013]FIG. 4A is a fragmentary plan view showing the barrel assembly ofthe toy water gun of FIG. 1 in a first disposition in use.

[0014]FIG. 4B is a fragmentary plan view showing the barrel assembly ofthe toy water gun shown in FIG. 4A in a second disposition in use.

[0015]FIG. 4C is a fragmentary plan view showing the barrel assembly ofthe toy water gun shown in FIG. 4A in a third disposition in use.

[0016]FIG. 5A is a fragmentary plan view showing the trigger assembly ofthe toy water gun of FIG. 1 in a first disposition in use.

[0017]FIG. 5B is a fragmentary plan view showing the trigger assembly ofthe toy water gun shown in FIG. 5A in a second disposition in use.

[0018]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view showing an opposite side of a portionof the toy water gun as shown in FIG. 2.

[0019]FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an electric circuit foroperating the toy water gun in accordance with the preferred embodimentof the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0020] Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a watergun 1 having a housing 3 molded from plastic in the general shape of afuturistic carbine. A grip 5 extends downwardly from the main body 7 ofthe housing 3. The grip 5 has horizontally running, vertically spaced,ridges 9 and grooves 11 at its sides and rear, for preventing slippagein the palm of a hand, and notches 13 at its front for receiving thefingers of the gripping hand. Two barrels 12, 14 extend from the frontof the water gun 1.

[0021] A generally rectangular trigger guard 15 extends from the frontof the grip 5 along the underside of the main body 7 and surrounds atrigger 17 having a surface 18 adapted to be pressed by an index fingerfor operating the water gun. On top of the trigger is a wall 16 (seeFIG. 5A) from which a projection 20 extends rearwardly in axialalignment with a substantially cylindrical plunger 22 reciprocallyslideable in a hollow cylinder 24 which leads into a water reservoir 26having a filling opening which is covered by a threaded cap 28 best seenin FIG. 2.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 3, a hand pump 79 has a cylinder 81 incommunication with the reservoir 26. A plunger 83 is slideable withinthe cylinder 81 and has a handle 85 for reciprocating the plunger 83 topump air into the reservoir 26 for pressurizing the water with it.

[0023] A plastic hose 30 has one end connected to a boss 32 surroundingan opening in the wall of the cylinder 24 and an opposite end connectedto a central valve port 34 in a three-way valve 36. A forward valve port38 of the three-way valve 36 is connected to an inlet port of aT-fitting 40 having two outlet ports 42, 44. A hose 46 extends from oneport 42 to an inlet opening 48 in a nozzle 50 mounted within a barrel 12of the water gun 1. A hose 52 extends from the other port 44 of theT-fitting 40 to an inlet opening 54 in a nozzle 56 mounted within abarrel 14 of the water gun 1.

[0024] A hose 58 has one end connected to the third port 60 of thethree-way valve 36 and an opposite end connected to a relief nozzle 62mounted on the butt end of the water gun 1 enabling communicationbetween the ambient atmosphere and the reservoir 26.

[0025] With the trigger 17 at its rest position, passage of pressurizedwater from the reservoir to the hoses 46 and 50 is blocked. When thetrigger 17 is pulled to its firing position, passage of pressurizedwater from the reservoir to the hoses 46 and 50 is enabled and waterunder pressure in the reservoir 26 is forced through the hoses 30, 46and 52 and expelled through the nozzles 50, and 56 on respective barrels12, and 14.

[0026] As can best be seen in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the trigger 17 has afloor 19 which projects rearwardly and terminates in an edge 21engageable with a length of an electrically conductive resilient springwire 23, a segment of which is wound about a screw 25 threaded into anaperture 27 in a boss 29 integral with the interior of the housing 3.The spring wire 23 urges the trigger in a forward direction toward arest position for the trigger 17 as can best be seen in FIG. 5A. Whenfinger pressure is applied to the trigger surface 18, the trigger 17moves rearwardly, pivoting the spring wire 23 back about the screw 25and urging a free end 33 of the spring wire 23 into contact with acontact in the form of a cylindrical sleeve 35 made of a conductivemetal and circumscribing a boss 37 integral with the interior of thehousing 3. A securing screw 39 is threaded into the boss 37 for holdingthe sleeve 35 in place.

[0027] Referring additionally to FIGS. 6 and 7, an end of the springwire 23 opposite the free end 33 is electrically connected to oneterminal of a power supply 47 in a compartment 49 within the housing 3.The opposite terminate of the power supply is connected to the sleevecontact 35.

[0028] The power supply contains three size C, 1½ volt batteries 51connected in series for producing a voltage of 4½ volts. Connected inparallel with the series combination of the power supply 47 and a switchassembly 53 defined by the spring wire 23 and contact 35 are a motorassembly 55 and a sound assembly 57.

[0029] The motor assembly 55 includes a direct current motor 59, havinga unidirectionally rotatable armature 61 which is part of a slider-crankmechanism. The sound assembly 57 includes a microcircuit with a memoryon which there are digitally stored sounds imitative of the firing of anautomatic weapon, a digital to analog converter, an amplifier and aspeaker for producing audible sounds as will be known to those skilledin the art.

[0030] When the free end 33 of the spring wire 23 engages the contact35, the motor 59 is energized, and its armature 61 rotates. Referring toFIGS. 4A-4C, the slider-crank mechanism includes a T-slide 63 slideablymounted on the housing of the motor assembly 55 an having an axial slotin which a boss 65 and cover screw 67, connected to the housing of themotor assembly 55, are received. A crank mounted on the armature 61 hasa pin 69 disposed in a transverse slot 71 of the T-slide 63 for causingthe T-slide 63 to reciprocate in an axial direction parallel to thebarrels 12 and 14 as the motor armature 61 rotates.

[0031] A lever 71 is pivotally mounted, at a center opening, over a boss73 and cover screw 75 fixed to the housing of the motor assembly 55. Apin 75 on the T-slide 63 extends through an aperture adjacent one end ofthe lever 71 and is received in an aperture in the slideably mountedbarrel 14. A pin 77 extending from the barrel 12, transverse to itsaxis, is received in an aperture adjacent an opposite end of the lever71. As the motor armature 61 rotates, the T-slide 63 reciprocatesaxially, causing the lever 71 to pivot back and forth, and the barrels12 and 14 to reciprocate in synchronization, 180 degrees out of phase.

[0032] In use, the cap 28 is removed from the reservoir 26 and thereservoir 26 is filled with water, after which the cap 28 is replaced toseal the reservoir 26. The pump handle 85 is then reciprocated to forceair, under pressure, into the reservoir.

[0033] When the trigger 17 is pulled, fluid communication between thereservoir 26 and nozzles 50, 56 permits water, under pressure, to beforced from the reservoir 26 through the nozzles 50, 56. Pulling of thetrigger also urges the spring arm switch member 23 against theconductive sleeve 35 for completing a circuit between the power supply47 and motor 59, thereby causing the motor armature 61 to rotate, andthe barrels 12, 14 to reciprocate as water is squirted from the nozzles50, 56. Closing of the switch member 23 also energizes the soundassembly 57 which emanates sounds simulating gunfire.

[0034] It is to be appreciated that the foregoing is a description of apreferred embodiment of the invention to which modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toy water gun comprising, a housing, aplurality of barrels mounted in said housing, at least one of saidbarrels being slideable for reciprocal motion relative to said housing,and at least one of said barrels having a nozzle for expelling water, amotor mounted in said housing, an actuator operatively connected betweensaid motor and said slideable one of said barrels for urging saidslideable one of said barrels to reciprocate relative to said housing inresponse to energization of said motor, an electrical power supplymounted in said housing, a switch mounted in said housing andoperatively connected between said power supply and said motor forselectively energizing said motor, a pump mounted in said housing, saidpump including a reservoir for containing water, a plunger forpressurizing said reservoir, and a trigger movable between a restposition and a shooting position, said trigger preventing fluidcommunication between said reservoir and said nozzle for preventingexpulsion of water from said reservoir through said nozzle when in saidrest position, and permitting fluid communication between said reservoirand said nozzle for enabling expulsion of water under pressure from saidreservoir through said nozzle when in said shooting position saidtrigger being adapted to be pressed for movement from said rest positionto said shooting position, and being operatively connected to saidswitch for energizing said motor in response to movement of said triggertoward said shooting position.
 2. A toy water gun in accordance withclaim 1 further comprising a slider-crank mechanism having a crankoperatively connected to said motor and a slider operatively connectedto said slideable barrel for causing said slideable barrel toreciprocate in response to rotation of said crank by said motor.
 3. Atoy water gun in accordance with claim 2 further comprising a leverpivotally mounted in said housing and operatively connected to saidslider and to said slideable barrel, said lever rotatably oscillating inresponse to reciprocation of said slider for causing said slideablebarrel to reciprocate in response to rotation of said crank by saidmotor.
 4. A toy water gun in accordance with claim 1 wherein said switchcomprises a resilient spring arm biased toward said rest position andengageable by said trigger for urging said trigger toward said shootingposition.
 5. A toy water gun in accordance with claim 4 wherein saidresilient spring arm is conducts current from said power supply to saidmotor when said trigger is in said shooting position.
 6. A toy water gunin accordance with claim 1 further comprising a sound circuit forproducing sounds simulating gun fire sounds in response to movement ofsaid trigger to said shooting position.